Floor treating machines such as vacuum sweepers, carpet cleaning machines, waxing machines, etc. are frequently used around and under furniture, and are nearly always used very close to base boards and door frames and doors with the result that the machine causes surface damage to the furniture and the base boards. In the past such machines have been fitted with a rubber bumper strip around the broadest portions of the head. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,695,246; 2,241,862; 2,247,946; 2,330,684; 2,622,263; 2,262,173 and 3,270,365. These patents show a bank or strip of a rubbery material around the head of the cleaner which serves the purpose of protecting the machine from scratches and protecting the furniture and base boards from excessive dents and chips and gouges. Unfortunately, such rubber bumpers do mar soft wood or a polished wood surface by destroying the sheen, and leave marks on most other surfaces as well. Furthermore, there are other parts of the vacuum cleaner which may damage a polished surface. The tops of the heads and the handles of the cleaners also may contact furniture, and therefore should be protected so as not to cause damage to the door frames and doors or tables and the like.
It is an object of this invention to provide covers for vacuum cleaners or similar floor treating machines that will be soft and relatively slippery so as not to mar surfaces or finishes on objects it may contact. It is another object of this invention to provide such cover portions that can readily be attached to the machine or detached from the machine and readily replaced when worn or damaged. Still other objects will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows.